# US 10,481,793 B2 · Sensor managed apparatus, method and computer program product > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,793 B2 - Document ID: US10481793B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/013,015 - Filed: 2018-06-20 - Published: 2018-10-18 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2012-01-27 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Anatol Ward; Kouichiro Takashima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481793B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/04886: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus - G06F 1/3206: Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality - G06F 1/3262: {Power saving in digitizer or tablet} - G06F 1/3296: by lowering the supply or operating voltage - G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user} - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - G06F 21/32: using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints - G06F 21/36: by graphic or iconic representation - G06F 2203/04108: Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: a display; a first area and a second area related to the display; circuitry configured to detect user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; determine whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and execute a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 2 A method, implemented by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, the method comprising: by circuitry of the electronic device, detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; determining whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and executing a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 3 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing therein a program that includes instructions which when executed by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, causes the electronic device to perform a method comprising: detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; determining whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and executing a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 4 An electronic device comprising: a display; a first area and a second area related to the display; circuitry configured to detect user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and execute a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 5 A method, implemented by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, the method comprising: by circuitry of the electronic device, detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and executing a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing therein a program that includes instructions which when executed by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, causes the electronic device to perform a method comprising: detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and executing a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 3, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 6, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.